If your iMac is stuck on the black loading screen, it’s important to know how to fix this issue without putting your device at risk.
The Apple iMac is an incredibly popular laptop, known for its high-resolution screen, fast processors and sleek design. These devices might come with a higher price tag and a reputation for high-tech specs, but it doesn’t mean they are immune to technical problems.
As with any glitch you encounter on your computer, once you know what causes it and how to fix it, the problem is never as bad as it seems.
So, if you’ve been met with the dreaded black loading screen on your iMac, don’t panic. We’re going to tell you what causes this issue and how to fix it.
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Why Is My iMac Stuck on Black Loading Screen?
When your iMac displays the Apple loading screen, it indicates your device is finding a local start-up disk.
As the start-up disk continues to load, the loading bar will stay on the screen. This can sometimes last for several minutes and may flick between a blank screen and the loading bar intermittently.
The same loading bar will show if your iMac is updating macOS, which again, might last for several minutes. This is a normal process that your iMac will run through and is not a cause for concern.
Unfortunately, sometimes this software update can run into issues. This might be due to unexpected shutdown or a corrupt file on your computer.
When this happens, it can cause your iMac to get stuck on the black loading screen. When your screen freezes in this way, it means that the start-up is unable to complete.
So, how can you fix this?
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How to Fix iMac Frozen on Loading Screen
If your iMac is stuck on the black loading screen, there are several solutions you can try.
The first is to force another shutdown. You can do this by holding down your power button for 10 seconds until the iMac switches off.
Turn your iMac on again and see if you are met with the same loading screen.
If you are, force shut down again, and restart the iMac in safe mode.
You can do this by pressing the ‘Shift’ key as soon as the device starts up and logging in when requested. This will hopefully resolve the issue and you can log out and log in again as usual.
If the issue persists, you will need to force another shutdown and remove all other devices connected to the iMac.
Turn on the iMac again and see if the issue is resolved.
Is your iMac still frozen on the loading screen? Try macOS recovery.
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Try Start-up in macOS Recovery
If your iMac is still stuck on the loading screen, you can try using macOS start-up recovery.
To do this:
- Switch the iMac on and press and hold the command and ‘R’ key to trigger macOS recovery start-up.
- Whilst the iMac is in macOS Recovery, use the Disk Utility to repair the start-up disk. This will hopefully resolve the issue internally and scan for any corruption.
- If no errors are found, follow the on-screen instructions.
- If errors are found on the start-up disk, go through the repair process as instructed on-screen.
- Turn on your iMac and check if the issue is resolved.
If you are still finding your iMac is stuck on the loading screen, you may need to reinstall macOS or restore your device.
How to Avoid iMac Freezing on Loading Screen
Whilst you can’t avoid running into errors on your iMac occasionally, there are steps you can take to avoid it happening in the future.
The first is to make sure you always shut down your iMac properly. This will prevent your device from scanning for errors on start-up.
Another is to ensure you always have the latest software updates installed on your iMac. That way, you know that your Apple device is maintained and up to date.
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